Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

WHEATLEY, Dennis and J. G. LINKS. Who Killed Robert Prentice? London: Hutchinson & Co., [1937.] 50th thousand, with an a.l.s. by Dennis Wheatley to Louis Golding, 4to (257 x 196mm.) Numerous samples and facsimile clues. (Toning.) Original card wrappers, ribbon-bound, also signed and inscribed by Dennis Wheatley to Louis Golding on the verso of the upper cover (browning, creasing to extremities). Note: the 20-line typed letter to the writer Louis Golding- dated June 1937- requests that Golding sign some volumes of his books for him because 'association copies add so very much to an interesting collection like my own'. Wheatley goes on to refer to the book that he is currently writing: 'I'm doing a straight book for a change upon Stalin's probable successor Voroshiloff'. That book was published later in the same year. Wheatley's library was indeed fairly impressive. It was sold by Basil Blackwell's in 1979.

COUNTER-CULTURE. - Arthur KLEPS. Millbrook, the True Story of the Early Years of the Psychedelic Revolution. Vermont: Neo-American Church Inc., 1975. Folio (397 x 288mm.) (Toning to margins, occasional spotting.) Original paper wrappers (toning, light spotting). Note: scarce. The first printing, preceding publication of the book by two years. This is an account of the psychedelic counter-culture centred around Timothy Leary and his fellow researchers at the Hitchcock estate at Millbrook, New York. It was an environment, as described by Nina Graboi, as ' a cross between a country club, a madhouse, a research institute, a monastery, and a Fellini movie set'.

[De GREY, Thomas. The Compleat Horseman and Expert Ferrier. London: Thomas Harper for Lawrence Chapman, 1639.] First edition, 4to (272 x 177mm.) Engraved illustration in the text. (Only fragment of title remains, lacking frontispiece of Charles I, damp-stained throughout, soiling, lacking leaf F4 and 6 leaves to the rear, several loose leaves, P2 torn with loss.) Contemporary calf (worn). - And a further two volumes relating to horses (including Gervase Markham's 'Markham's Master-Piece Revived', 1694, 4to, dated to the second part, lacking general title) (3).

CICERO, Marcus Tullius. M. Tullii Ciceronis Opera Omnia quae Exstant a Dionysio Lambino. Strasbourg: J. Dupuys & J. Ribelius, 1581. 3 vols. (of 9). 8vo (178 x 118mm.) Titles with printer's device. (Damp-staining through 1 volume with some loss to rear blanks, occasional soiling, annotation in Latin to one rear blank.) Near contemporary calf, blind-tooled design to covers (spine with loss to one volume, tips restored, rubbing.) Note: has 2 volumes (of 3) of the 'Orations'. Provenance: Kiveton (name inscribed to front pastedowns); Peregrine Osborne, Duke of Leeds (bookplates to front pastedowns). - And two further volumes (including 'Scriptores Rei Rusticae Veteres Latini Cato, Varro, Columella Palladius', [1 vol. only of 2], 1735, 4to) (5).

ARCTIC. - [Edward Lawton MOSS. Polar Sketches. Sixteen Chromo-lithographs from Watercolour Drawings Made in the Polar Regions Made in the Polar Expedition of 1875-76. London: Marcus Ward & Co., 1878.] Loose-leaf (224 x 305mm.) 12 (of 16) chromo-lithographed plates mounted on card. (Lacking the original text accompanying each plate, the cards trimmed down, toning and occasional browning to card margins, 1 plate with partial soiling.) Disbound. Note: rare. Only 1 record of this on Jisc [Copac]. This was a special issue of Edward Moss's 'Shores of the Polar Sea: A Narrative of the Arctic Expedition of 1875-76'. Both were published in 1878. The drawings were not made to record the progress of the expedition but were more reflective and aesthetic, designed to show the strangeness of the landscape, and the effect of light upon it by having a midnight sun, or a mid-day moon.

HERBAL. - Rembert DODOENS. A Nievve Herball, or Historie of Plantes: wherein is contained the whole discourse and perfect description of all sorts of Herbes and Plantes: their divers and sundry kindes, their strange Figures, Fashions, and Shapes... translated out of French into English by Henry Lyte. London: Gerard Dewes, 1578. First English edition, folio (283 x 179mm.) Engraved historiated woodcut title, with woodcut arms of Henry Lyte to verso, black letter, portrait of the author on *vi, numerous woodcut illustrations and initials, index and tables to rear. (Uniform light browning, last leaf Yyy4 supplied in hand-written facsimile, marginal paper repairs to title-page *I to *iv and at rear from Xxx to last leaf, text affected only slightly at Xxxvi.) Early 20th century panelled calf, red morocco lettering piece to the second compartment of the spine, elaborate gilt to the rest, gilt turn-ins, g.e. (occasional surface rubbing). Note: the first English and only illustrated edition. Aside from the Bible, this was the most translated book of the Renaissance. Dodoens was the court physician of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and his successor, Austrian Emperor Rudolph II in Vienna. He was later appointed Professor of Medicine at the University of Leiden. Provenance: John Warren (bookplate to the front pastedown). [STC 6984].

EVELYN, John. Sylva, or a Discourse of Forest-Trees, and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesties Dominions... as it was Deliver'd in the Royal Society the XVth of October, MDCLXIV upon Occasion of certain Quaeries Propounded to that Illustrious Assembly by the Honorable, the Principal Officers, and Commissioners of the Navy. London: by Jo. Martyn and Ja. Allestry for the Royal Society, 1664. First edition, folio (304 x 188mm.) Title in red and black with engraved vignette of the Royal Society coat-of-arms, 3 parts in 1, license leaf A1 preceding title, with 'Sir Paul Neile's Second Paper' bound after F2 and the 'Animadversion' leaf after C4, errata leaf to rear, woodcut illustration of implements at P4, separate titles to 'Pomona' and 'Kalendarium Hortense'. (Occasional spotting, minor soiling to license leaf and title.) Contemporary mottled morocco, brown morocco lettering piece to spine, gilt ruled with corner-pieces, gilt turn-ins (some loss to lettering piece, rubbing to spine, covers and extremities, endpapers replaced). Provenance: John Warren (bookplate to the front pastedown).

MINIATURE BOOK. - Marcus Tullius CICERO. - M. Tulli Ciceronis de Officiis, Libri III. Amsterdam: Jan Janssonius, 1629. 64mo (68 x 42mm.) Engraved title, 18pp. index to rear. (Damp-stain to lower margin, text unaffected, indistinct name inscribed to title.) Contemporary vellum, manuscript title to spine (minor soiling). Note: rare. Collates: (i) A1-Z8, Aa-Ee8.

[WHYMPER, Josiah Wood. Thirty Plates Illustrative of Natural Phenomena etc.: with a short description annexed to each plate.] London: SPCK, [1846]. 4to (358 x 272mm.) 30 wood-engraved plates with hand-colouring. (Toning to margins.) Original brown cloth, blind-tooled with gilt titling to upper cover (rubbing to extremities). Note: signed in the plate by 'Whimper' but this is almost certainly from the wood-engraving business of J.W. Whymper. They were originally sold as single plates, in both coloured and uncoloured versions.

VIGNOLA, [Giacomo Borozzi]. Il Vignola Illustrato Proposto da Giambattista Spampani, e Carlo Antonini. Rome: Nella Stamperia di Marco Pagliarini, 1770. Folio (336 x 220mm.) Engraved additional title, engraved title vignette, portrait of Pope Clement XIV, initials, head and tail-pieces, 55 engraved architectural plates. (Toning to margins, occasional browning.) Contemporary half calf (rubbed). Provenance: Tho. Clifford (name-plate to the front pastedown).

BOYDELL, John and Josiah (publisher). An History of the River Thames. London: W. Bulmer and Co., 1794-1796. 2 vols., folio (416 x 311mm.) Engraved frontispiece, 75 hand-coloured aquatint plates by J.C. Stadler after J. Farington, 3 double-paged. (Lacking the additional dedication leaf to King George III of the first issue, blank leaves replaced, lacking 1 plate 'View of Richmond from Twickenham' in volume 2, variable spotting in volume 1, heavy from pp. 127-135 and pp. 66-77, some browning and offsetting, occasional spotting on other leaves.) Late 19th century half calf over marbled paper-covered boards, two brown morocco lettering pieces to the spines (some fading, rubbing to extremities, endpapers replaced). Provenance: J.S. Kirkham (name inscribed to titles); John Warren (bookplate to the front pastedowns).

SOWERBY, James. English Botany; or, Coloured Figures of British Plants, with their Essential Characters, Synonyms, and Places of Growth. London: for the author by J. Davis, 1790-1793. 2 vols. (only). Volumes 1-2. First edition, 8vo (247 x 153mm.) 123 hand-coloured engraved plates. (Several loose leaves and loose plates, some corner creases.) Contemporary boards (covers detached, worn). - And a further twenty-three miscellaneous volumes (including the fourth edition of 'Endless Amusement; a Collection of Nearly 400 Entertaining Experiments', [circa 1820], 12mo) (24).

[HOPE, James.] The Military Achievements of Field-Marshal The Duke of Wellington… by a Peninsular and Waterloo Officer. London: Hope & Co., 1854. 2 vols., 8vo (197 x 119mm.) Two errata leaves. (Occasional browning, lacking half title of volume 2?) Original red blind-stamped cloth, gilt lettering to spines (wear to spine ends). Note: rare.

URQUHART, David. The Pillars of Hercules; or, a Narrative of Travels in Spain and Morocco in 1848. London: Richard Bentley, 1850. 2 vols., first edition, 8vo (222 x 136mm.) Publisher's advertisements for endpapers. (Spotting to preliminaries.) Original blue blind-stamped cloth, gilt lettering to spines (some sunning to spines, tape reinforcement to hinges).

LAYARD, Henry Austen. Early Adventures in Persia, Susiana, and Babylonia, including a Residence Among the Bakhtiyari and Other Wild Tribes Before the Discovery of Nineveh. London: John Murray, 1887. 2 vols., first edition, 8vo (193 x 121mm.) Chromolithographed portrait frontispiece of the author in tribal wear, 3 wood-engraved plates, 3 folding maps. (Toning to margins, minor soiling to preliminaries, offsetting of bookplates.) Contemporary red half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards (rubbing to extremities, some loss to top of spine of volume 2). Provenance: William Walter Richmond Powell (bookplates to front pastedowns) (2).

AMERICA. Letters From His Excellency George Washington President of the United States of America to Sir John Sinclair, Bart. M.P. on Agricultural and Other Interesting Topics. London: W. Bulmer & Co et al., 1800. First edition, signed and inscribed by Sir John Sinclair, 4to (303 x 237mm.) (Toning, occasional spotting.) Original blue boards, paper label to upper cover (rebacked, endpapers replaced, rubbing to extremities, soiling to lower cover). Provenance: John Billingsley (inscribed to on the half-title).

CORSICA. - Edward LEAR. Journal of a Landscape Painter in Corsica. London: Robert John Bush, 1870. First edition, 8vo (259 x 176mm.) 40 wood-engraved plates, numerous wood-engraved illustrations in the text. (Spotting to half-title, uncut leaves, occasional spotting to margins.) Later brown cloth with original russet cloth laid-down with gilt lettering to spine (endpapers replaced, soiling to lower cover).

RACKHAM, Arthur (illustrator) and J.M. BARRIE. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1906. First edition, 4to (248 x 182mm.) 50 colour plates with captioned tissue-guards. (Lacking initial blank, slight spotting to title.) Original red cloth with pictorial gilt (discolouring to spine, wear to base of spine).

HEATH-ROBINSON, William (illustrator) and Rudyard KIPLING. A Song of the English. London: Hodder & Stoughton, [n.d. but 1909.] Limited edition, this being number 300 of 500 copies signed by W. Heath-Robinson, 4to (308 x 247mm.) 30 tipped-in colour plates by W. Heath-Robinson with captioned tissue-guards. (Toning to margins, small corner crease to frontispiece.) Original vellum with decorative gilt and red to upper cover and spine, t.e.g. (minor soiling, lacking silk ties, fore-edge browned). Provenance: C. H. Innes Hopkins (bookplate to the front pastedown).